"It's really coming down out there" Selah said. "Still that time of year for typhoons. Thankfully because of the barrier, the mansion and city will be just fine" Alicia said looking out the window. The gusty winds and rains battered the barrier as a category 2 typhoon drifted 40 miles out to sea. "You sure about this Alicia. I should be at your side" Marco asked with a small suitcase beside him. She glanced at Cordelia who sat quietly staring at a wilted fern in the corner. "Keith needs someone that can cast a symbology barrier and hopefully Hope's Etherion can slow down Cordelia's deterioration. I never asked but what does happen to a forgotten goddess? Do they disappear?" Alicia asked worried. "No, they become completely mortal. Completely human. No magics, no eternal life. They grow old and die just like we do" Marco muttered. Cordelia stretched out her hand. "Don't" Marco told her. Cordelia looked down at her sandaled feet dejected. He took her hand and had her stand. "You just need to long on a bit longer till we fix all this. And when it is..." he said caressing her index finger. Cordelia shed a tear and hugged him tightly. Marco kissed her softly. Cordelia wiped her tears away. "Well. Off to merry old England" she smirked. Alicia opened a portal and sent them on their way. Once she had, she walked over to and hugged her daughter from behind.

"What're you thinking about?" Alicia asked. "Just stuff" Selah replied softly. "It was a busy week we had huh? You've been tight lipped about this Steven" Alicia said. "He's nice. Kinda shy but I like that" Selah said smiling. "You're still a virgin right?" Alicia asked. "Mom!" Selah yelled jerking away. "Mandatory question. But I am pleased you found a boyfriend. Just be mindful that borrowers are...anxious when it comes to physical contact" she said. "Faith gave me the details. I was prepared for the sniffing and him looking at my feet" Selah huffed. "Selah? Are you taller?" Alicia asked. She turned the girl around. "You are taller. An inch and a half. Not only that your boobs are bigger" Alicia said. "I noticed in the shower last night. If I had to guess it's a side effect of the hero driver. Faith did say thatq98; q98; power would cause my body to age faster. Guess when the driver that that on its own I really did age" she said. "Well, you're not too old for tickles!" Alicia yelled taking her fingernails on the back of her neck. Selah squeaked and Alicia grabbed her and carried her to the sofa. The woman mercilessly tickled her bare tummy until Selah begged for her to stop. Alicia looked at her pretty eyes and kissed her forehead. "Normally someone would pop I and give their two cents" Alicia said looking around. "Well, everyone is doing their own thing today. Skylar and Hana shrunk down and went on a day just for them in the city, Lucy went into the city for some "me" time, and Theo is minding the kids" Selah said. "So that's why it's so quiet" Alicia said.

"Well, I can't blame them. It's been one thing after another. It's only natural wanting some down time" Alicia said. "Do we have that luxury? You really stirred shit up with that concert" Selah said. "Right now, Lilith and Persephone are dealing with the backlash. Millions of people were reminded what guilt, grief, and love feels like. Having said that, I do plan for us to go to Greece tomorrow. Taking out Persephone will back Lilith into a corner. For good or bad..." Alicia replied.

Lucy quietly walked around the outskirts of the city in a clockwise direction. Wearing shorts and a light shirt, she could feel an odd humidity in the dome. The constant thud of rain above her head was almost hypnotic to the borrower. Her walk gave her time to her own thoughts. No crying babies for milk. No worries about Faith. No stressed-out husband. Just herself. She often went on such walks as it permitted her the satisfaction of being a giantess without the hassle of being human sized. Not to mention the attention she gathered. Even though Faith commanded them not to think she was their ruler or goddess, they still chose to worship her as such. That respect transferred to anyone close to her. In this case, people seemed very eager to please Lucy. Lucy stopped walking and sat down on the west side of the city. She looked as humans close to her stopped what they were doing and approached. With a smile on her face, Lucy extended her legs so they had access to her bare feet. Never in life would she suspect shrunken humans cleaning her feet. She did not see them as slaves or worshipers but playful loving little people ready to make her happy.

"Don't fight. Plenty of my feet to go around" she chuckled as they pushed each other to clean her soles. She watched them as one would watch a hamster eating an almond. Satisfied that one another was content. One human caught her attention as he waited for the chance to lick her feet. She plucked him up by the shirt and placed him in her hand. He was a cute human by her standards. 19 or 20 years of age. Black hair with a tan complexion. No doubt mixed blood as most humans of the city. He bowed in her palm. "Your name" she asked. "Jacob" he said almost scared. "You smell scared. Worried. No need for that. No harm will come to you" ‘she said petting his head. He looked upon the giantess to see her warm smile. "You are very handsome Jacob. Has anyone ever said that to you?" she asked. "Some..."

"Lucy. My name is Lucy. I want you to use it" she said to him. "Some...Lucy" he replied. "Children?" she asked. "A son" he replied. "I hope he is handsome as his father. Take off your clothes Jacob" she said. Jacob did until he was naked. Lucy sniffed his naked body and felt her mouth water. "If I told you that I felt affection for you, what would you think?" she asked. "I would be honored to satisfy you" he quickly replied. "Is that all? Satisfy me?" she asked dejected. "Did...did I offend?" he asked worried. "Do you love me as a woman?" she asked. Jacob didn't readily answer. "Put your clothes back on Jacob" she muttered. "Wait. Are...are you lonely?" he stammered. "I don't know. From a borrower perspective, I have everything I could want. A mate, offspring, food, clothing, a safe home. So why do I feel I'm missing something?" she asked. Lucy began crying softly. The people at her feet paused. "Sadly, I don't know you enough to answer that but..." he said trailing off looking towards the dome. "I do know the uneasiness of missing something. When I was younger, I too felt something missing. I had loving parents, a new wife heavy with child, anything I could ask for as Markus gave us all we needed. But I felt I was missing something. What it was, was a hobby. I needed something to express myself. I became a painter" he said. "Thanks for the story but painting won't solve my problems" Lucy said. "Painting was my thing. You need to find yours" he said. At that moment Lucy understood her problem. She was a bird in a gilded cage. Borrowers are natural roamers. Being cooped up day after day doing the same things was driving her nuts. Her "me" time was a Band-Aid for a broken leg. "And here I was about to have sex with you" she snickered. "You still can" he muttered. "I don't think I'll feel better if I do. Having said that, I am tempted" she smiled. Jacob looked dejected. "Aww. Don't look so depressed. I'll suck your cute little cock if ya want" she smiled. Lucy bent down and took his tiny dick between her lips. With some gentle rhythmic sucking, she soon had the young man shooting his seed into her mouth. "Yummy" she smirked savoring the taste. Lucy kissed him before snuggling him to her cheek. She had him get dressed and placed him back on the ground. The others around him either saw him a lucky man or lucky bastard. Lucy sat there content as they went back to cleaning her feet.

As Lucy thought about solving her problem, Skylar and Hana were busy having lunch at a cafe in the city. "This grilled chicken is fantastic" Skylar said. "Hmm..." Hana muttered. "You've been quiet. What's on your mind?" Skylar asked her. "The recent business with my people. I've never given too much thought about having children but now..." she replied. "Well, it is true that the Koonago are faced with a sociological crisis. Half your people are half human now. If you did have a kid, would you use a surrogate?" Skylar asked softly. "You mean if we stay together is what you're saying" Hana said poking her salad. "I don't know the views of same sex marriages for Koonago" Skylar said. "There has been same sex coupling, marriages even but traditionally we choose a partner of adequate breeding to sire a child" she said. "So, a Koonago then?" Skylar said. "I didn't say that I would choose that for me. Or for us" she replied. "I don't know how to take that" Skylar said finishing her food. "Neither do I" Hana said getting up from the table. Skylar followed her outside and walked beside her on the street. People took notice of Hana as they usually did as a Japanese girl unmixed was a rarity there. That and her natural beauty.

Her steady clip clop of her geta sandals on the street mixed with the usual sound of the people. "Did our conversation upset you?" Skylar asked. "No. It's just makes things...realer. I never considered marriage or children when I began dating you" she said. "Really?" Skylar asked surprised. "Such things were a fantasy for me most of my life. Who would marry Nanashi the lowborn? I would be a concubine a best" she said. Skylar gripped her shoulders and held her in place. "You are not lowborn. You're a sweet, beautiful woman who has every right to be happy. You spoiled me so much I can't look at flowers and not think of you" Skylar said. Hana wiped a tear from her eyes. Soft thuds interrupted them. "Greta. What's she up to?" Skylar thought seeing the giantess pace around the western part of the city. "Is something the matter?" Hana asked. "Greta had been acting oddly as of late. Keeping to herself and muttering" Skylar replied. "Maybe she's just stressed like we all are" Hana said. "Maybe" Skylar said. "Come on. Let's go to the park" Hana said pulling on her.

Hana and Skylar sat under an oak tree snuggling watching children play. "It would not be bad to have one of my own" Hana said. "I can only imagine that cute tummy all puffed out" Skylar chuckled poking her. A ball rolled up to her. "Can I have it back?" A boy asked. "Only if I can play" Hana replied. Hana took off with the ball joining the other children. Skylar watched amused as the Koonago played kickball barefoot. Her kimono taunt as she ran the bases. Her laughter as kids cheered her on. Truthfully, Skylar gave little thought about starting a family with Hana as she didn't know her feelings on it. It was her happiness that was important in all of this. But as she watched Hana giggle and laugh as the kids sprayed her with water from a fountain she considered if Hana laughed and giggled like that playing with their own child. The thuds returned and Skylar could see that Greta was not only still pacing around but have moved considerably closer. Curious, Skylar stood up and briskly walked towards the giantess. It took a few minutes, but Skylar made it to the human sized Greta.

"Greta what are you up to! You know we aren't allowed to be human sized in the city unless we're working on something!" Skylar shouted up. Greta barely heard her tiny chirping, but she did and looked down slightly. "Just my pinky toe could end her" she thought. Greta was tempted to squish the bug sized girl but knew her life would be forfeit. Still, that didn't mean she couldn't have a bit of fun. Greta took one step forward with both bare feet planting them perilously close to Skylar. "GRETA!" Skylar shouted. "Oops. Didn't see you down there. Afternoon Skylar" Greta said bending down. Greta adjusted her panties just enough to expose part of the crack of her massive pussy. "Afternoon. Greta, you know you have to have special permission to be human sized here" Skylar said. "Well maybe I want to be the size I was born with today. We did our community service so isn't it cruel to keep us shrunk? Bad enough we can't leave" Greta said. While some of the old Valkyrie ranks did indeed enjoy their time here (some even found humans to couple with), others weren't so satisfied. Skylar had worried that Faith's absence could stir up things with them. "First, the world has become a pretty shitty place so you're better off here..."

"And what about before? Or what comes later?" Great asked cutting her off. "What comes later is your powers being sealed away so you live like a normal real human" Skylar said up to her. "Is that the deal you cut for yourself?" she asked. Skylar didn't answer her immediately. "I'm sorry for the things I did. You're not. That's the difference between us" Skylar said. Greta scrunched her giant toes as if to frighten her. "You have something else to say?" Skylar asked looking at her toes. "You going to rat me out for walking around this size?" she asked. "No, no death and destruction that I can see. Just get permission next time. You wanted to be treated like me you have to show some sincerity" Skylar replied. Skylar turned to walk away. She paused sniffing the air. "You smell that?" Skylar asked. "Smell what? My feet or my pussy? I haven't showered yet today" Greta said. "Not that. Smells like ozone" she said. Greta began to worry. She had good reason to as she knew full well why she smelled ozone. "Maybe the humidity? It is raining outside" Greta said. "It is humid. Think about what I said Greta" Skylar said before walking away. Greta did not move until Skylar was far away. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Too close" she muttered looking behind herself at the small scorch mark on the street. She used the ball of her foot to rub it away.

Since she had spoken to Lilith, Greta had slowly destroyed the arcanes shielding the island from the outside world. When she began there were 993 of them. Now 347 remained. The ozone Skylar smelled was the result of tiny sparks of lightning she used to do so. To help camouflage her work, she took advantage of the storm outside. The thuds of rain and random thunder and lightning would help obscure the ordeal. Lucky for her, the humans below did not question what she was doing. She was a giantess after all, and giantesses stood at the top of the hierarchy there. "Pushed my luck enough today. I'll wait till she and Alicia goes on one of their stupid missions to start again" she muttered walking back to her quarters.

Skylar returned to Hana to find their girl humming to herself as she used a fountain to wash the dirt from her cute little feet. "So did you beat them?" Skylar asked. "They didn't know what hit them" Hana chuckled. Skylar handed her her sandals and smirked as she put them on. "What?" Hana asked. "Nothing except you're all sweaty now and could use a bath. And since today is Friday..." Skylar smirked. "Uugh...your turn to play Jaws. One of these days you're going to swallow me" Hana huffed. "And miss out on decades of cuddles and kisses from my pretty Koonago? Not a chance" Skylar said. "Decades?" Hana asked. Skylar blushed. "I tease and yet you notice I have not said no to your statement" Hana said. "Yeah, I did notice so is that a yes to my very awkward...that sound" Skylar said hearing a faint whistling. She looked up. "HANA!" Skylar yelled pushing her aside. Hana fell to the ground just as a loud splash filled her ears. The spray soaked her clothes. Hana looked back and found Skylar barely conscious on the ground. "Skylar?" she asked standing up. Skylar groaned in pain utterly soaked in water. Blood began pouring from her nose. "SKYLAR!" Hana yelled kneeling. "Ha...na" she groaned. "Hold on!" Hana yelled scooping her up in her arms. Skylar cried out in pain. "By the Kami what happened?!" Hana yelled. "Rain...drop" Skylar muttered. Hana grew to human sized painfully fast and rushed back to the mansion. "Alicia! Help me please!" Hana yelled. Alicia, Selah laying on her lap gasped seeing the blood smeared all over Skylar's face. "Bring her to the sofa!" she yelled. "Easy...easy! Don't tilt her head back! Her nose is broken, and she'll choke on her own blood!" Alicia yelled. "Hana what happened?!" Selah yelled. "A raindrop. A goddamn raindrop did this" she replied. "A fucking raindrop broke her nose?!" Selah yelled. "Damn near broke her neck. She could've been killed instantly. If it weren't for her excellent athleticism, she'd be dead right now" Alicia muttered as she began healing her. Five tense minutes later, Skylar was stabilized and resting. "A raindrop?" Selah asked shocked. "Stands to reason. To an ant sized person, a raindrop is like being hit with 20 lbs. of water moving 50 mph. Ants can get by because of their exoskeletons. Humans are squishier" Alicia said. "But didn't you say the barrier protects everyone from such stuff?" Selah asked.

"It does. The barrier here is the most advanced in the world" Alicia said standing in the doorway. "So how did is happen?" Hana asked softly. "It is humid outside. The barrier is designed to let in air and light, so we don't suffocate and stumble in the dark. Maybe the humidity is so much condensation formed high up. Still, I've never heard of it hurting or killing anyone" Alicia said. "Will she be alright?" Hana asked. "I'll be fine" Skylar said suddenly. She tried to move and immediately regretted it. "Lay down dummy. Your neck muscles are sore, and you still got a slight concussion" Alicia said. "I've had worse" Skylar said moving again. Alicia pushed her back down. "Don't make me shrink you" Alicia warned. Skylar huffed where she lay. "I saw Hana running back to the house. Everything okay?" Lucy asked entering the house. "It was nothing. Almost got killed by a raindrop is all" Skylar sighed. "Jesus you okay?!" Lucy asked. Skylar nodded and sucked her teeth in pain. "Damn. I was planning on taking you with me to Athens too" Alicia said. "Well shit take me" Lucy said. "This isn't a vacation Lucy. This is kill mission" Alicia said. "I'm no stranger to fighting. I did go toe to toe with Markus" Lucy said. "Faith did say that" Alicia muttered. "And quite cranky is going bug fucking nuts being cooped up. If it isn't Marco's villa its this place. Seriously, I don't know either to fuck or flee to relieve the stress" Lucy said. "...stick close to us and stay out of the line of fire" Alicia sighed. "Yes ma'am!" Lucy said saluting before running off. "I'm going to regret this ain't I?" Alicia asked.

The next morning...

Skylar sucked her teeth in pain as she bent down slightly to add sugar and creamer to her coffee. "Still hurts?" Selah asked. "Like a bitch but I got off lucky. One of my old Valkyrie squamates told Alicia an hour ago that 11 humans were killed yesterday by random raindrops. She's outside now checking the barrier" Skylar replied. "We ready to go yet?" Lucy asked entering the living room. "Waiting on mom. Was that you arguing last night?" Selah asked. "Theo is not cool on me going with you. But I need to get out and stretch my legs so to speak" Lucy replied. "Well, you're certainly dressed for an outing" Selah said looking over her tank top, khaki shorts, and sandals. "So are you" Lucy said admiring her jeans, halter top, and Nike trainers. "Remember what mom said. This isn't a vacation" Selah said. "I know, I know. You're pretty calm about all this" Lucy said to her. "That Valkyrie I turn into is rubbing off on me. She's not scared of anything. I wish I could be like her full time" she said. "I like ya the way you are string bean" Lucy chuckled ruffling her hair. Selah smiled trying to stop her. "You're taller kiddo. Ovulating too" Lucy said sniffing her. "Cut that out!" Selah yelled. Lucy hugged her tight and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. "Sorry. When our kind is stressed, we get a little clingy" Lucy said sheepishly. Alicia walked into the house.

"Confirmed. 11 dead. Raindrops broke their necks. Another 15 critically injured" she sighed. "So is the barrier okay?" Skylar asked. "As far as I can tell yes. No breaks or gaps that I can find. I won't know for sure until I do a thorough look at all the arcanes. In theory they could be compromised but it's highly unlikely" she said. "I know the barrier is sustain by arcanes but why unlikely?" Selah asked. "There's 993 arcane glyphs that make the barrier. In theory it would take at least half of them to be destroyed to have any effect. Such destruction would be noticeable. A third of the city would be destroyed to do that. It must be the condensation theory. It's the easiest answer. But for now, we got more pressing matters. Selah, Lucy, you ready?" Alicia asked. They both nodded. "Okay, next stop Athens" she said opening a portal. They walked through and emerged behind a prestigious hotel in downtown Athens. "Okay. Your portals work by revisiting places you've been already. So why the back of a hotel?" Lucy asked scrunching her nose. "Having sex with a bellhop" she replied. Lucy and Selah looked at her. "I was drunk and traveling the world for an album release stressed me out. I was blowing off some steam" Alicia replied blushing. "Just curious" Lucy said. "Local time is 3 pm. Let's head onto the street and get the lay of the land" Alicia said gruffly.

The three of them walked onto the street and found it bustling. People going about their lives but oddly enough in a state of euphoria. "They look...really happy" Selah said. "Super happy" Lucy said waving at a man waving at her. "Peace be unto you sisters. May the blessings of Persephone be upon you" a woman said passing them. "And unto you?" Selah said back. They looked puzzled at the woman walking down the sidewalk. "This is not how it was last time. People were rude, self-absorbed, oblivious, they were regular humans" Alicia said. "Well, they are human. That woman smelled of baby powder, breastmilk, and sweat. Her pheromones are still ripe" Lucy said to them. "A perception spell no doubt" Selah said. "Yes, but something is different. Even in Japan and Dubai there weren't people so...hippie" Alicia said. "Seems like we're not being affected so it's not a blanket spell" Lucy said. "Yes..." Alicia muttered.

The trio walked further until Alicia suddenly stopped. "Whoa. Persephone has been busy" Alicia said as the Parthenon came into view. The Parthenon fully restored to its former glory. "I think we know where Persephone might be" Selah said. They began walking once again. "Can't we take a taxi?" Lucy asked. "I'm worried about the locals. The more I mingle with them, the more I sense a faint magical presence. We could be surrounded by enemies and not know it" Alicia replied. "If you say so but can we take a break? My feet hurt" Lucy asked. Alicia nodded and directed them to a nearby park bench. "I'm going to get us some drinks. Any requests?" Lucy asked. "Water for me. Selah?" Alicia asked. "A Coke" she replied. Lucy nodded and went across the street to a shop. She grabbed a bottled water, a can of Coke and mused over what she wanted. "Hmm...a pomegranate smoothie? Never had one of those. I'll take a smoothie please" she said to the cashier. The man made one for her and Lucy pulled out a credit card. "No charge. I can see you want that smoothie very much and I wish to oblige" he said. "Okay..." Lucy muttered. "Enjoy the blessed fruit smoothie and may peace be upon you" he said smiling. Lucy left with the drinks. "I see what Alicia is saying. That was kinda creepy" Lucy thought as she walked back to the bench. She handed Alicia and Selah their drinks and sat down to sip her smoothie. "That's pretty damn good" Lucy said. "What is it?" Selah asked. "A pomegranate smoothie" she replied. "Pomegranates have been a staple of Greece for an exceptionally long time. I remember there was a story behind them. Can't remember what is was..." Alicia muttered.

"How much further do we have to walk?" Lucy asked taking her left sandal off and rubbing her foot. Alicia looked up the road. "Another mile. We're definitely on the right track. I can feel a stronger magical presence the closer we get" she replied. Lucy sighed just as a young man walked near her. "You seem to be in discomfort" he said. "Just haven't walked this much in a while" Lucy said to him. The man sat next to her. Lucy was utterly shocked when he placed her foot in his lap and began rubbing it. "The fuck?" Alicia muttered. "Kinda rude bro!" Selah yelled as both her and her mother stood up. "No, leave him be. He's doing a great job and we don't want a scene" Lucy said. Alicia and Selah were disturbed by his boldness. "You sure? He could be a pervert and..."

"Look around you Alicia. Can't you feel it? There's nothing like that around here" Lucy said contently. Alicia and Selah did look around once more to see humans acting as if nothing was wrong in the world. "You don't find any of this suspicious?" Alicia asked. Lucy looked at the young man pulling on her toes. "It's different I'll give you that but where's the harm? Anyone dying, enslaved, being raped?" she asked. "No" she replied. Lucy slipped her other sandal off and placed her foot in his lap. Dutifully, he began rubbing that one. Ten minutes had passed. "Lucy, we need to get going" Alicia said. "Fine. Thank you for the yummy foot massage" Lucy said slipping her sandals back on. She stood up and bent down to kiss his forehead. "You sure you feel alright?" Selah asked. "I feel particularly good for your information. Not everything his blood, death, and battle" Lucy said. "There's a catch Lucy. There always is. This goddess made a girl turn her own brother into a shrunken slave in Dubai. Sooner or later the other shoe will drop" Alicia said.

They walked and walked until they reached the walkway at the base of the Parthenon. "They ain't good" Alicia muttered seeing two long columns of women dressed in ancient battle gear. The front leaders turned to face them. "It's like they stepped out of an episode of Xena Warrior Princess" Selah muttered observing them. Alicia turned to her. "What? I've been Netflixing" she shrugged. Sandals on their feet, a white toga going down to their knees, leather armor, holding a javelin, with their hair tied in behind. But what was striking the most was their left side of their chest was exposed...missing their left breast. "Oh my god. They cut their own tit off?" Selah asked. "English...state your business approaching the home of our goddess Persephone and her husband Hades" one said. "We wish to speak with them" Alicia said. "None may speak without audience given beforehand. Turn away or face the spears of the Amazons" she said. Selah looked at Alicia who nodded to her. "Hard way it is..." Selah muttered. She summoned the driver. "Hero Driver on!"

"Be As Gods" Selah said squeezing it. It began its dazzling transformation astounding the women. "Deciding the fate of battle like a Valkyrie. Brynhildr descends unto the battlefield. Presented by Sony" it said. Selah cracked her neck as she gripped her sword cracking with lightning. "F... form columns!" one commanded. "Don't do this sister. It will only end badly" Selah warned. She tried to stab Selah with the javelin. Selah stepped to the side as it missed and with her enemy's center of balance off, slashed diagonally killing her instantly. "Take cover" Selah muttered to Alicia and Lucy. What began was a bloody melee. Their weapons, slightly enchanted by the looks of them were no match at all for Selah's divine sword. Heads rolled on the ground, dirt-stained deep red. So much blood spilled the air reeked of the smell of rancid iron.q98; q98; And after a gruesome 10 minutes, the last Amazon before them fell. Alicia was astounded at the skill and power Selah manifested. She had been told how she bested Morrigan but to see it firsthand was something else. 20 amazons and Selah didn't take as much as a scratch. It would be laughable at how skillfully she killed them if not the horror of it. "Selah..." Alicia said. "I'm fine. Winded but fine. Let's continue" she said.

They found it very odd that if Persephone was indeed up the stairs inside the Pantheon, she did not meet them during the battle. "Is she hiding?" Alicia asked. "No, she's up there. I can feel it" Lucy said with odd certainty. "It's as Lucy said. The presence has not diminished" Selah said. "What do you mean you can feel it? I thought borrowers couldn't..." Alicia was saying until Selah paused after clearing the steps. Six amazons stood ready. Dressed finely indicating their commanding status. Behind them sat on two thrones Persephone and an old man with a long gray beard dressed entirely in a black cloak. Persephone herself dressed in nearly shining white toga wrapped around her body. Obsidian black sandals on her feet. A crown of black roses around her forehead. Her skin pale. Her left eye black as night. Her right eye brilliant as morning dew. Her hair gold with black streaks. The duality of her visage a clue to her origins. "We would have business goddess" Selah said pointing her sword at her. "That we do but after you have been broken and lie a shell at my feet" Persephone said coldly. He motioned for her amazons to attack. "I got this. Save your strength" Alicia said summoning her artifact.q98; q98; Alicia let off a powerful shrinking spell attached to a high-pitched whole note. Unnerving the deities before them, they saw the amazons shrunk to two inches in height. "Don't just stand there! Kill them!" Persephone ordered. "You got to be shitting me here" Alicia sighed. "She's not. Stay behind me" Selah said. With deft footwork, Selah crushed five of them underfoot. Their bodies popping in bloody glory all over the alabaster floor. Only one remained now terrified. Selah snatched her up. She squirmed in the giantess' grip. "You are defeated. Surrender and your life will be spared" she told the young woman. The woman freed her left arm and grabbed a very tiny dagger. Selah grabbed her left arm so fast and hard she tore it right off. The woman screeched in pain. Selah sighed and sucked her teeth as she gripped her tiny head and twisted until the smallest crack could be heard. Lifeless with a broken neck, Selah dropped her onto the floor. "You sent them to die knowing they couldn't kill us" Alicia hissed at Persephone. "They could've. Every one of them including those outside has their weapons coated with hemlock sap. The smallest cut would've been fatal" Selah said softly.

Persephone stood up from her throne clapping. "It's been centuries since I've seen such an elegant warrior. You truly have a gift for death. But it is a borrowed gift as I smell foreign magics about you. Nevertheless, I present you the chance to become one of my amazons. You will be treated richly and want for nothing. All you have to do is pledge your loyalty and undergo my trial" she said slipping off her right sandal. She pointed to her bare foot. "You can take your offer and shove it up your Ancient Greek ass. You have perverted the love between brother and sister, mother and son, bewitched the masses, and made a mockery of devotion. For these crimes, you will be...excommunicated from this world" Selah said coldly. Persephone motioned to her husband. He stood up, put on a strange helmet and disappeared from sight. "Did he shrink? Teleport?" Alicia asked. "No..." Selah replied. A moment later she was struck from the right with invisible magic force propelling her into a column. The massive column cracked from the sheer force of Selah hitting it. "SELAH!" Alicia yelled. Selah motioned for her not to move. Selah readied herself after standing. A blow from under her chin sent her flying and into a wall. Selah coughed blood. "Hmm..." she muttered. Her eyes glowed with Norse runes and she held out her hand. Forming from lightning was two black ravens. "Huginn, Muninn take flight" Selah commanded. The birds flew to the very top of the Parthenon and looked down. "Ah, I see" Selah muttered. She suddenly sidestepped backwards, and a blast of invisible force missed her. Selah flowed through slashing high hitting something causing the grind of metal and sparks. A tink sound of mental hitting floor came out and the old man Hades, shimmered back into view. "Your parlor tricks won't work anymore dread lord" she hissed. Persephone motioned. "Enough! Yield or she dies!" she yelled. Selah looked behind her. To her astonishment, Lucy was holding a shrunken javelin right at Alicia's throat.

"Lucy? What the hell are you doing?" Selah said. "As...as commanded. Please yield Selah. I do not wish to kill her" Lucy said shaking. "What have you done to her?!" Selah yelled at Persephone.q98; q98; "Imagine my surprise when I saw she was under my thrall. Now surrender or she will die. Hemlock is a painful way to die" she replied. Selah squeezed her driver. "Hero Driver power down" she said. Selah returned to normal. "Now that was a cute trick shrinking my amazons. How did it go?" Persephone asked. She raised her hand and Alicia and Selah shrunk down to three and a half inches. "Ehh...close enough" she shrugged. The giant goddess walked over to where they stood. Alicia looking at the giant toes of Lucy and looking up at her. Selah had her eyes dead locked on Persephone. The goddess slipped her sandal off, raised her bare foot over her, and lowered her sweaty sole right on top of Selah. "Get your foot off her! Please...please don't..." Alicia begged. "Don't give her the satisfaction of begging mom" Selah said with her face nearly pressed into her sole. She could feel the grooves of the ball of her foot on her forehead. She could smell footsweatq98; q98; leather, and the odd scent of fruit. "My goddess. If I may say something. You can still contract her services can you not? A girl of her power is worth more live than dead, correct?" Lucy asked. "...indeed. See they are restrained before they wake" she said. She took her foot off her and blew a strange dust in the air. Alicia and Selah breathed it in and fell deep asleep within seconds...

"Ohh...my head" Selah groaned as she awoke. She looked around and found herself in a small cage. "It's made of iron. Apparently, they shrunk these cages just for us. Normally they keep rowdy tourists in here" Alicia said from an adjacent cage. And us being stark naked?" Selah asked feeling the air on her skin. "Making sure we don't have any arcane or other weapons hidden on us no doubt" Alicia replied. So, we're still in the Parthenon?" Selah asked. "Judging by the smell yeah" she replied. "Can't believe we didn't notice a spell on Lucy. But why did it affect her and not us?" Selah asked. "Because it was localized not a blanket spell as we previously thought. Some kind of direct contact spell" Alicia replied. "But when was it placed on her?" Selah asked. "She was perfectly normal until we got some drinks, and that guy gave her that foot rub" Alicia said. "So, he placed a spell on her bare foot?" Selah asked. "No, a mind control spell would've been noticed with a telltale flash of light. Let's see, we sat down, she got us drinks. Water, a Coke for you, and a pomegranate smoothie. A pomegranate...oh motherfucker!" Alicia hissed. "What?" Selah asked. "It was the goddamn smoothie!" she yelled. "A smoothie laced with a mind control spell?" Selah asked unbelieving. "A pomegranate smoothie. Now it makes sense. Earlier I was trying to remember an old Greek tale involving pomegranates and now I remember."

"Did you notice a fruity smell on Persephone?" she asked. "Actually, I did as her fucking foot was pressed on my face" Selah replied. "It was the smell of pomegranates. There's an old story about her and pomegranates. Story goes that very long ago, the God Hades fell in love with the daughter of the goddess Demeter, the Greek goddess of blossoming plant life. She's kinda the Greek equivalent to Cordelia. Anyway, Hades decided to kidnap Persephone, Demeter's daughter and take her back to the Underworld to be is wife and Queen. He did and Demeter immediately stopped her duties to search for her child. The world began to languish as no plants bloomed, bore fruit, or grew heavy with crop. The other gods got involved and eventually they found Persephone in the Underworld. However, during this stretch of time searching, Hades kept her so long she hungered. The rule is if you eat food in the Underworld, you're bound there forever. Hades knew that and over and over tried to get her to eat. Eventually, so starved she ate four pomegranate seeds. In comes Zeus and Demeter demanding her release. Hades tells them that she ate his food and therefore bound to the Underworld. Enraged, Demeter says that not a single grain, fruit, or nut will grow again until her daughter is returned. Facing the starvation and death of the world, Zeus strikes a deal between them. For every seed she ate, she spends a month on the Underworld as his queen. And so goes the story of the seasons coming into being" Alicia said to her. "So...

"So, Persephone is using the fruit that binds her to bind others to her will. Fuck me that would take a lot of pomegranates" Alicia muttered. "So, is it permanent? We can't free Lucy?" Selah asked. "Probably not permanent in her case. It takes a lot of magic to permanently enslave a mind. It's why Markus never bothered to back home. The people probably ingest it every day to keep the spell going. But in our cases and those of those amazons...I don't think it will be the same" she replied. The door to the room opened and Lucy walked in. "Oh, good you're awake. Time to become one of us" she said eerily cheerful. "We don't want to be like you Lucy! Snap the fuck out of it!" Alicia said rattling her cage. "That's a pity Alicia. You don't know what you're missing. It's like every problem just goes away. Like you're finally free to just...feel. Just bask in the love of Persephone" she said as she began to unlock Selah's cage. "Lucy. Don't do this. If you want to her to control someone then use it one me. I'm powerful. I can faithfully serve. Just let her go" Alicia said. "That's very sweet of you. Misguided but sweet. If anything, I want her to feel it more than both of us. Poor thing cries at night. I love her so much and it hurts to see her suffering. Come here little Selah" Lucy said wrapping her fingers around the shrunken girl. She lifted Selah free.

Selah could see two pomegranate seeds in her hand. "Have...have you eaten one of those yet?" Selah asked. "Not yet. The queen wanted to reserve these for you first. I will get my own very soon" Lucy replied smiling. Selah began to frantically struggle. "Selah there's nothing to fear honey. Just relax. Just..." Lucy trailed off for a moment. Lucy placed the seeds on a desk. "I want you to be happy Selah. The nightmares returned, didn't they?" Lucy asked. "...yeah" Selah replied softly. Lucy brought her to her face. "There are times a hate being a borrower and not just because I'm smaller than everyone else. I can smell your sadness Selah. You put up the bravest front for everyone, but I can smell the salt of your tears on your cheeks. See the redness in your eyes. My senses are so good I can't possibly say I don't know you're sad. And the worse part of it, I can't do a fucking thing about it. I'm weak. A pathetic little girl who can't even cheer up one sad girl" Lucy said shaking. "That's not true at all Lucy" Selah said. A tear rolled down Lucy's cheek. "But now I can fix all of that!" Lucy said. Lucy kissed the girl lovingly. Her finger trailed down her body till it began to rub Selah's pussy. Selah moaned softly. "That's how it feels Selah. It's like being horny for life itself" Lucy said. Lucy dove in licking and slurping her tiny cunt.

Selah kicked her bare feet over and over into her cheek trying to fight her invading tongue...until Lucy's giant lips slurped them into her mouth. With a contented hum, she sucked her legs in until only Selah's upper body remained. With a loud suction, Lucy stimulated her. Selah moaned and groaned until she made a pitiful whimper. Lucy drank every drop of her juices and let her slip from her mouth. "Oh Lucy..." Alicia muttered seeing unadulterated euphoria on her face. "See? All I want to do is take away your pain. I want to be useful" Lucy said to Selah. "You already are. You don't have to do anything for us to earn our love. Lucy...if this is my future. I want you to kill me. If you truly love me, you'll do this for me" Selah whined. "You...you would rather die than to feel her love? You'd chose death?" Lucy asked shocked. "It's better than a living death as a slave! I would rather die free! FREEDOM LUCY!" Selah screamed.

In her addled mind, Lucy remembered similar words spoken by a friend. Lucy was born and raised in a breeding farm with dozens, nearly a hundred other borrowers. She never knew her parents or who were her siblings. With a crop of 47 babies that year, knowing was impossible. Even knowing by scent was nearly impossible as so much incest blended the scents around them. Third cousin? Second niece? Grandchild once removed? Nobody knew. However, even in the wake of that, some created families based on looks. A girl Lucy's age shared the same earlobes and nose, so she considered her a sister. Her name was Tracy. They were inseparable for most of their lives. Each helping one another as they became pregnant. Lucy would drink Tracy's milk to ease the pain of bloated breasts. Tracy sucking Lucy's toes to ease the pain of her feet. They even shared males fortunate enough to be granted time with their impregnated mates. And one day Tracy sat in her cage quietly not even caring about the milk leaking from her breasts, she told Lucy she was going to escape. Lucy thought she has finally snapped. It wasn't unusual for a borrower to do so and Tracy had just watched her baby sold a few days prior. Her 9th baby to be precise. Lucy begged her not to try as they were surrounded by a forest full of creatures which would love to make a meal out of a sweet smelling, estrogen loaded borrower. Even worse her scent was magnified by post pregnancy hormones. Tracy responded by begging for her to go with her. Lucy refused. "Then stay here and die! I rather die free than spend another day in this hellhole!" Tracy yelled as she picked the rusted lock and escaped into the night.

Within 10 minutes, a ghost of a scream was picked up by Lucy's ears. Faint almost to the point she missed it but a clear night enough the sound traveled further. She knew it was Tracy. Lucy wanted to go after her, save her but was too frightened to leave her cage. She sat there crying to herself the rest of the night. But that was not the worst of it by any means. Barely a week later, the Borrower Rights Act was passed and within days of that, the farm was shut down and Lucy was freed by government agents taking them into protective custody. Lucy could not leave the place without truly knowing. A giantess holding her listened to her pleas to search the nearby forest for Tracy. The kind human woman understood what was truly being asked and began to search. It only took a half hour to find Tracy. "I'm very sorry for your loss" the woman said looking down at the gruesome sight of a week-old snake turd with human like bones in it. Lucy saw a pelvis, a female pelvis draped in the half-digested scrap of cloth she used for clothing. There was no denying it. Tracy had been ambushed and eaten alive by a copperhead snake. Lucy blamed herself. She thought if she begged harder, forced her not to leave physically, maybe even went with her, she'd be still alive. Depression sank in as she lived in the shelter. It was by chance she saw Faith's advertisement for a nanny and the rest is history.

"I can't. I can't lose...another...loved one..." Lucy stammered before she went into convulsions. Selah fell out of her grip onto the table. "SELAH!" Alicia shouted worried she was injured. "I'm okay! Just a bump but what's happening to her?!" Selah yelled. "I don't know but left this damn latch on the door!" Alicia yelled. Selah rushed to her cage and yanked back the heavy iron bolt opening the door. As it did. Lucy collapsed onto the floor and made a painful retching sound. Alicia and Selah rushed to the edge of the floor. "Oh god. All that blood" Selah gasped. "Not blood. It's the remnants of that smoothie. The psychological shock caused her to puke up that enchanted pomegranate smoothie. Help me out. I can't break this fucking shrinking spell on my own. Selah and her held hands combining their magics until the spell broke. Instantly Alicia grew back to her normal size and Selah used her growth spell to match. Lucy groaned on the floor. "Help me with her" Alicia said. They picked her off the floor and sat her on the table. "Lucy? Lucy, can you hear me?" Alicia asked. Lucy's eyes focused and saw the two before her. Her mind went right back to what she had done to Selah. Tears welled up in her eyes and Lucy broke down sobbing. They had never seen Lucy cry so hard.

"Lucy you're going to hyperventilate" Alicia said holding her hand. "*gasp* I'm so sorry. Selah I'm so sorry" Lucy cried. Selah looked at her and Lucy looked away. Selah's hand touched her cheek and Lucy flinched. She gently turned her head. "Please don't look at me..." Lucy begged. Selah held her head with both hands. Selah could see sheer terror in her eyes. Terror the comes from the fear of losing a person's love. Selah hugged her to her bare chest. Lucy cried softly into her teenage breasts. "It was me and it wasn't me. I wanted you to be as happy as I was, but it wasn't real happiness. It was more like a drug high" Lucy said. "About what you said earlier..." Selah asked. "I once lost someone extremely precious to me because I was too afraid to act. I carried that guilt with me ever since. When I see everyone doing their part and I'm just sitting at home I feel that guilt creep up inside me. I'm no fighter, no Mage, and when I heard you crying it broke my heart. Selah, I love you so much I never want to see you hurt. I don't want to see anyone I love suffer if I can do something about it" Lucy said. Selah wiped her cheeks dry before cleaning her lips with her fingers. "And you won't. You do a lot Lucy. You keep the house in one peace so when we do come back, we can feel at peace. That's more valuable than you know" Selah said. "She's right Lucy. You always had an important role. And even if you didn't and all you did was eat Cheetos all day, you still wouldn't have to do anything to earn our love. Love that truly matters can't be bought. It is gifted" Alicia said. Lucy nodded and sniffed. "Now to pressing matters. What was her plan for us?" she asked.

"Well, after having you eat those seeds, you were to dress accordingly, and I was to present you in the throne room. After that you was to cut your own breasts off" Lucy replied. "Okay...okay and fuck that in that order. Take us to where were supposed to dress" Alicia said. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" Selah asked. "Oh yeah" Alicia grinned. Lucy led them to a room down the hallway. They entered to find a young woman being dressed by a teenage boy. "Are those the new amazons?" she asked. Lucy silently nodded as she gathered Alicia's and Selah's clothing. "Praise be to Persephone. "Indeed sister. Praise be to Persephone" Alicia said calmly. The teenage boy knelt on all fours as the woman slipped her sandals on and used him as a footstool to tie them. A small gust of air slipped underneath the door frame and Lucy cringed slightly. "Come Archos. It is our time to give tidings to the people" she said to the boy. They watched them leave. "Well, that was weird" Selah said. "More than you know. The boy was virtually devoid of a man's scent. He has been...gelded" Lucy said. "You fuckin' kidding? That's sick" Alicia hissed. "Gelded?" Selah asked confused. "They cut his balls off" Alicia explained. "Oh fuck why?!" Selah asked. "Her attendants are all virgins. To preserve that in males they geld them" Lucy replied. "And tidings?" Alicia asked. "They're the ones that distribute the pomegranates and spread the word of Persephone. We met one already in town. A modern equivalent would be a Jehovah's Witness" Lucy replied. "They told you all this?" Alicia asked. "They were...eager to teach me" Lucy replied.

Alicia and Selah quickly got dressed and Lucy hurried them to the throne room. "Just play it cool. When the fighting begins, stay back" Selah said as they walked inside the room. Four female attendants, not quite amazons, were busy cleaning up the floor. Lucy cringed at the stench of bleach. "Make sure to not leave a single stain. Goddamn girl all but wiped out my amazons" Persephone hissed. They watched as they scrubbed the blood splatter from the floor where Selah crushed the shrunken amazons who dared attack her. Problem was, Alabaster is a semi-pourusq98; q98; stone which meant the blood could soak beneath the surface. "Penny? When can we return to the shop? Mr. Cambridge will be expecting his Ruben sandwich soon" Hades said softly. "Soon Henry. Very soon" Persephone sighed. Selah cocked an eyebrow hearing that. She glanced at the Greek god of death and found his gaze...vacant. "Good! I take it they are of the faith?" She asked Lucy. "By...by your command my goddess" Lucy stammered bowing. Persephone motioned for Alicia and Selah to approach her. She slipped off her right sandal and pointed to Alicia first. "Show your worship and devotion" she commanded. Alicia bowed to one knee, kissed her big toe, and to sell the lie, sucked her toe for a brief moment. The goddess chuckled and pushed her aside with her foot. "And for you my once troublemaker. Be a good girl and do all five" she commanded.

Selah knelt and sucked her toes starting with her pinky toe. Sucking it, moving to the next, and so on. Selah glanced up to see Persephone's eyes closed either in arousal, or gloating. Either way that worked in Selah's favor. When she took her big toe in her mouth, Selah's eyes narrowed as she voicelessly conjured lightning. The surge of electricity went from her tongue and teeth, right into the flesh and bone of Persephone's toe. Amplified by her saliva, the goddess shrieked as tens of thousands of volts wracked her body. The goddess was thrown backwards. "That was for putting that fucking foot on me earlier" Selah hissed standing up. She squeezed the driver after summoning it. "HERO DRIVER ON!" it said. "Be As Gods" she said coldly. "Deciding the fate of battle like a Valkyrie. Brynhildr descends to the battlefield. Presented by Sony" it said. "Round two?" Selah said holding her sword. "Henry!" Persephone yelled to him. The old God stood up, placed his helm on his head and disappeared. "Huninn, Muninn" Selah summoned. The birds circled above them and Selah easily found where the old God was trying to ambush her. A quick slash and once again he was visible and injured. "Fool. Birds can see in different frequencies of light than we can. Those above us are anything but ordinary birds. You cannot hide from Thought and Memory. They see EVERYTHING!" Selah yelled attacking him. Hades parried her attack with his legendary Bident, but it was clear that he was no match for her. A quick slash upwards disarmed him, and he fell back. Now the fight fell to Persephone. She proved tougher an opponent, but their elements were by no means equal.

While her plant life powers did provide some lightning resistance, even they died from the onslaught of sharp blade and lightning. After all, a mighty oak tree can conquer the earth but is kindling in the face of a bolt of lightning. The very floor itself was cracked and broken from so many plant summonings. And when Persephone switched tactics using status effect spellwork, Selah didn't miss a beat. "Lightning Breaker" she summoned. Now her sword carried not only a lightning attribute but a spell cracking one as well. A sleep spell slashed. A shrinking spell cleaved. Poison dust burned in midair. The goddess was running out of tricks. She had one final card up her sleeve though. She willed Hades' Bident to her hands to push Selah back. Drawing in the life energies from the cowering amazons that had fled outside, relying on her inborn power inherited from her mother, Persephone struck a mighty blow shattering Selah's breastplate and sent her crashing against the wall. "DIE!" The goddess howled throwing the Bident. Selah dazed and vision blurred, heard a cracking, shattering sound, then a wet thump, a gasp, and then felt something large impact her body. Her vision cleared and to her horror, saw that Lucy has thrown herself in the way of the attack to save her life. Selah saw a hastily made arcane for a barrier on the floor before her. "Se...lah?" Lucy gurgled before falling onto the floor from her leaning on her body when the weapon threw her off her feet. Selah yanked the weapon out of her as Alicia screamed running up to her.